Voluble Lewis Holds The Reins To The Chiefs' Defense from KC Star
Coach Andy Reid calls Kendrick Lewis a "stud." Cornerback Marcus Cooper calls him a "general."
But when asked what their starting free safety really brings to the league's top-ranked defense, it seems most Chiefs agree with cornerback Sean Smith's assessment:
"Kendrick is the quarterback back there," Smith said. "He definitely takes control of the secondary and pretty much the whole defense, really."
That means that whenever the offense runs a shift or motion, the 6-foot, 198-pound Lewis - who often lines up several yards off the ball and can pretty much see the whole field - is one of the first players to yell out a call or adjustment, and that's just fine with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.
Game Preview: Browns vs Chiefs from The Mothership
The Kansas City Chiefs close out their three-game home stand Sunday, facing the Cleveland Browns at 12:00 PM CDT.
The Week 8 matchup will be the 12th game of the series played at Arrowhead, with the Chiefs owning a 7-3-1 record on their home field.
But the past is the past and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is all about having his team focused for a very talented Cleveland Browns team.
Chiefs' Dwayne Bowe Doesn't Practice Because Of Groin Sprain from KC Star
Bowe participated in warmups with his teammates Friday but did not wear a helmet and did not practice. A questionable status means there's a 50-50 chance Bowe will play. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Bowe was "day-to-day."
"He's feeling a bit better today than he did yesterday, which is good," Reid said. "But let's just see how he is (Saturday) and go from there."
Reid said Bowe suffered the injury in practice on Thursday.
Chiefs Wrap Up Focused Friday Practice from The Mothership
As far as the Chiefs much-publicized 7-0 record, coach Reid shared reasons why the team's record is what it is and offered the overall goal within the locker room.
"Listen," coach Reid said. "We've got good players here and good coaches, who work very hard. The players have been just diligent. We know it's important every day to get better. We're not where we can be. We just have to stay focused on our job and just keep working. We've kind of put that record thing aside. We're trying to think 1-0's instead of 7-0's or 8-0's, wherever we're at."
Time Is Ticking For Tiny Georgia Island Chiefs Lineman Allen Bailey Calls Home from KC Star
With an escort of dolphins on this crisp, bright morning, the ferry ride from the mainland to Sapelo Island lasts perhaps 20 minutes, a span that might as well have been spent in a time machine.
This simple, peaceful and lush but complicated island was once a slave colony.
Now it has a dwindling and aging permanent population of fewer than 50 "Saltwater Geechee" descendants in Hog Hammock, the one remaining community on the 10-by-2 mile barrier island - a community that improbably nurtured and produced a Kansas City Chief: defensive lineman Allen Bailey.
It's a people groping with how to preserve and honor their West African ancestry and customs while contending with modern times and circumstances.
Game Day Activities: Chiefs vs Browns from The Mothership
The National Anthem will be performed by Shotgun & Lace. During this time, an Arrowhead flag will be held by 100 Season Ticket Holders.
The first pass will be from Harvesters President & CEO Valerie Nicholson-Watson to Chiefs Ambassador Art Still.
Finally, George Brett will lead the sea of red in the war chant in as the honorary drum leader.
Rewatching The All-22 Film With A Focus On Jamaal Charles from KC Star
Anyway, I wanted to keep a particular eye on Charles because his ratings on Pro Football Focus seem strangely low. He's only a +1.8 for the year, and a -1.3 rushing the ball. The guys who run that site are smarter than me, and put more time into those things than I do, but here's what I saw in Charles against the Texans, a game in which he rushed 21 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 37 yards. He is the heartbeat of this offense, obviously, and there are things that jump out on the video that must get washed away in those ratings.
Andy Reid's Friday Presser Transcript from The Mothership
Q: With the news about Dwayne Bowe, are you looking for more ways to get
Donnie Avery involved?REID: "We try to spread it around as much as we can and give everyone an opportunity. We'll see how it all works out. We're not doing anything until we see who is playing here."
Chiefs Film Room: How The Offensive Line Fared Against The Reigning NFL Defensive Player Of The Year from KC Star
The point is this: I've long been a firm believer that to be the best, you have to measure yourself against the best. And with all the consternation about the ceiling of the Chiefs' offense this year, I thought it made some sense to go back and review every play from Sunday's game in an effort to see how the Chiefs' offensive line fared against the league's best defensive player.
In short, here's what I found: Excluding the three kneel downs at the end of the game, I had Watt down for 60 defensive snaps, of which he was single-blocked 41 times and doubled 19 times. Furthermore, I counted 17 plays where Watt noticeably beat his offensive counterpart(s), all but five of which came when he was single-blocked.^^
Quick Hitters With Chiefs OL Geoff Schwartz from The Mothership
When the Chiefs and Browns hit the field, Geoff and his brother Mitchell, who plays the same position for the Browns, will become the second pair of Jewish brothers to play in the NFL together, since the Ralph and Arnold Horween in 1923. The Week 8 matchup is also the first time both brothers will play against one another.
During locker room interviews this week, Schwartz was asked some sibling-specific questions, leading into Sunday's historic meeting.
KCChiefs.com Video: Eric Berry's Football Camp
KCChiefs.com Video: Under The Helmet: Derrick Johnson
KCChiefs.com Video: Focus Point: Week 8
KCChiefs.com Video: Inside The Locker Room: Week 8
KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Donate Food For Harvesters
NFL.com Video: Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Dwayne Bowe Questionable For Sunday's Game
WKYC Video: WKYC's Jim Donovan On The Browns-Chiefs Match-Up
PFT Video: PFT Live: The Secret Behind Kansas City's Early Success
Jackson No Longer On The List Of Chiefs' DL Draft Busts from FS Kansas City
There was Ryan Sims and Eddie Freeman and Junior Siavii and Turk McBride and Tank Tyler and Alex Magee, just to name a few.
And until this year, perhaps, many fans were ready to throw another name into that infamous group: Tyson Jackson, the third overall pick of the 2009 draft.
This year, Jackson has finally come into his own under new defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and new head coach Andy Reid, both of whom simply gush when they speak of Jackson.
Chiefs Enjoy A 'Lighter' Side Of Practice from Chiefs Spin
"That's ugly, that's ugly," wide receiver Donnie Avery said with a chuckle. "That should be on ‘America's Funniest Home Videos,' that's how ugly and funny it is. It's kind of a change-up and we like looking at that."
Indeed, the players going through the receiving drills aren't wide receivers, running backs or tight ends.
Upon closer inspection, it's easy to spot numbers ranging from 61 to 79 identifying the group as offensive lineman.
The Kansas City Chiefs Have Gone From Worst To First from Newsweek
They're not in Kansas anymore, but then again, they never were.
Since 1972, the Kansas City Chiefs have made Arrowhead Stadium their home, and before that Municipal Stadium, and both structures are or were located in Kansas City, Missouri. Much like the young heroine who initially uttered that phrase, though, the Chiefs do find themselves in unfamiliar, more lofty and luminous surroundings after having survived a tempest.
Eight weeks into the NFL season, it is the Chiefs and, despite the ubiquity of Peyton Manning on your television (and, if you have DirecTV, your phone), not the Denver Broncos who find themselves as the sole remaining team in the AFC West - nay, the entire National Football League - without a defeat.
The Kansas City Chiefs Gambled On The Players Who Made Them The Worst Team In The NFL, And It Paid Off from Business Insider
They have the 1st-ranked defense, the 2nd-ranked special teams, and an offense that does just enough to win.
The most interesting part is that they're doing it with a lot of the same players from last year's league-worst 2-14 team.
In the offseason the Chiefs made a gamble. They bet that the team that went 2-14 was actually really talented, and that they could become a contender with a few roster tweaks.
Chiefs Hope To Tee Off On Browns' New Quarterback from The Associated Press from The Miami Herald
The most fearsome pass rush in the NFL is getting more fresh meat.
The unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs and their bruising defense will be facing a new or backup quarterback for the third time in four weeks when Jason Campbell leads the Cleveland Browns into the hostile environs of Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Browns' Week 8 Scouting Report: Kansas City Chiefs from Dawgs By Nature
The Difference Between Good and Elite: There are good defenses and then there are elite, difference-making defenses. Cleveland falls into the first category, while the Chiefs fall into the latter one. Although the Browns can cite some impressive statistics with their unit (2nd in the NFL in yards per play), take a look at how these two teams compare in some of these other defensive categories:
Sacks per Pass Attempt: Chiefs (1st), Browns (17th)
Interception Rate: Chiefs (4th), Browns (22nd)
3rd Down Conversions: Chiefs (1st), Browns (29th)
Red Zone Scoring: Chiefs (1st), Browns (29th)
Points Per Game: Chiefs (1st), Browns (16th)
Best Survivor Pool Picks For Week 8 Of The NFL Season from Sports Illuatrated
2. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Cleveland Browns) -- The Chiefs are 9.5-point favorites here, and given that Jason Campbell is starting for the Browns, I cannot believe this line isn't a few points higher. I still believe that Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron will be great fantasy players this season with long careers ahead of them, but the luster is coming off each of them just a bit. PFF has the Browns in the middle of the pack in both pass and run blocking. I don't see any way that they can score enough points against the league's best defense to leave Kansas City with a victory. The Chiefs' soft schedule finally takes a turn in the coming weeks, so now is a great time to take them.
NFL Scout Offers Seven Thoughts On 7-0 Chiefs from USA Today
Scout's take: "I didn't think that they'd go from zero to 100. I didn't think they'd go from worst team to Super Bowl contender. I don't think anybody thought that. But you could see that they had the talent and that you'd come in with an established coach that knows what he's doing and no real learning curve. When you look at a team that has a really good defense and a really good pass rush, I think that they have an opportunity to go far."
Campbell Impresses With Preparation from ClevelandBrowns.com
In addition to preparing for the Chiefs' defense, Chudzinski and Campbell have spent the last three days compensating for the noise that awaits them in the loudest outdoor stadium in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
"We've been inside for two of the three days, which is good," Chudzinski said. "With crowd noise, it makes it louder and tougher to communicate, so it's been a big emphasis for us with hand signals and stuff that we're doing. I think that Jason's responded well to that and is getting done what we need to get done in preparing for the game."
Campbell Takes His Turn As Browns Try To Knock Off Unbeaten Chiefs from FOX News
Though they stand alone as the league's final unbeaten, there's still a fair bit of doubt when it comes to Kansas City truly being a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Beating a 3-4 Cleveland team won't definitively answer that question, but it will show that Reid has focused his players on the task at hand - rather than looming AFC West showdown with Denver.
Sports Network predicted outcome: Chiefs 26, Browns 18
Local Youths To Perform At Arrowhead from The Maryville Daily Forum
The Bearcat Boogie Dance Studio has once again been named an exclusive training site for the Kansas City Chiefs Junior Cheerleader Program.
The studio, located at 515 N. Main, recently hosted an appearance by two Chiefs cheerleaders who led young people enrolled in the Junior Cheerleader program during a two-hour clinic.
Schwartz-Bowl from Waiting For Next Year
Together, Geoffrey, a University of Oregon alum, and Mitchell, a Berkeley graduate, make up thirty percent of the total population of Jews currently playing in the NFL. Yet Jewish women aren't lining the fences waiting to get their autographs, they say.
"There aren't a lot of groupies for offensive linesmen," Geoff laughs.
"They're probably at doctor's offices instead," Mitchell jokes.
Browns-Chiefs: Five Keys from ClevelandBrowns.com
The Browns' offensive line holds up against outside linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, as well as the rest of the Chiefs' sack-happy defensive front.
This is where that off-the-charts crowd noise presents the biggest problem. The Browns have spent the week preparing with simulated crowd noise blaring from speakers in their indoor practice facility. Still, nothing can replicate what will be heard from those 74,000-plus Chiefs fans, stoked by the team's 7-0 record, on Sunday. Communication between Campbell and his linemen and the linemen with each other will be extremely difficult and likely lead to false-start penalties, along with some hesitation among the blockers as they assume their pass sets. All of that gives a huge advantage to the Chiefs' defense. So, too, does Campbell's tendency to have a long, deliberate throwing motion on deeper passes.
Ray Farmer Relishes Opportunity To Make A Difference With The Cleveland Browns from The Cleveland Plain Dealer
This weekend, Farmer joins the club on its trip to Kansas City, where he spent seven memorable seasons and one "awful, awful, awful" day with the Chiefs. He returns as a decision maker who has a say in every facet of football operations alongside Banner, general manager Michael Lombardi and coach Rob Chudzinski.
The Browns didn't trade halfback Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick last month, Banner said, without Farmer's input. (He favored making the deal.)
Sunday Slate: Analyzing Week 8 Matchups from MMQB
Thanks to a schematic adjustment by Kanas City, Bowe frequently aligned in the slot against Houston, often with normal slot man Dexter McCluster flanking out wide. With more room to operate, McCluster had a season-high 70 yards on four catches. Bowe also had his best game, catching five balls for 66 yards. Being in the slot puts Bowe in more immediate passing lanes for the ultra-conservative Alex Smith. It also emphasizes Bowe's size and strength while de-emphasizing his iffy quickness. Look for the Chiefs to use Bowe in the slot more this Sunday. If nothing else, that will discourage the Browns from plastering him with top corner Joe Haden.
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Zone Blitz from SB Nation
On thier next possession, Houston finds themselves in a third-and-eight situation and the Chiefs respond with another creative "blitz".
3-8-HST 43 (8:15 4th Quarter) (Shotgun) C.Keenum sacked at HST 28 for -15 yards (sack split by J.Houston and T.Hali). FUMBLES (T.Hali), recovered by HST B.Brooks at HST 23. B.Brooks to HST 23 for no gain (M.Devito).
I use quotations on the word "blitz" because, technically, Kansas City only rushes four here. However, they send five very briefly at the start, so for the purposes of altering and affecting Houston's pass protection, it's a five-man blitz.
Jared Crick Fined $15,750 For Roughing The Passer Foul from ProFootballTalk
The NFL has fined Texans defensive end Jared Crick $15,750 for a roughing the passer foul committed against Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith in Houston's 17-16 loss at Kansas City on Sunday, the league confirmed to PFT.
Browns Chiefs Preview: Elite Eight from Warpaint Illustrated
Since 2011 he has the highest winning percentage of any starting quarterback in the NFL. Yep that's right it's higher than Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. So why is there so much flack over his modest stats?
Well Smith can end that madness with a big game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Granted his been pedestrian like the last two games but he's still guiding a team that has yet to lose this season.